PP445 Half Unit
Public Economics & Development
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Joana Naritomi
Availability
This course is available on the Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Columbia), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-Sciences Po), Double Master of Public Administration (LSE-University of Toronto), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Hertie), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and NUS), MPA Dual Degree (LSE and Tokyo), MPA in Data Science for Public Policy, Master of Public Administration and Master of Public Policy. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
Priority will be given to School of Public Policy students. Students from outside of the School of Public Policy should submit a statement in support of their request.
Deadline for application: 9am on the Monday of Autumn Term week 1 (including requests from School of Public Policy students). We aim to inform students of the outcome of their request by 12noon the following day, Tuesday of Autumn Term week 1.
For queries contact: mpa@lse.ac.uk
The course is open to students in all full-time SPP programs. First-year MPA, MPA Double Degrees, MPA in Data Science for Public Policy and MPP students should contact the course convenor, as some pre-readings may be strongly recommended.
Students from outside the SPP must have completed introductory economics and econometrics courses at the level of PP402 or higher.
Course content
This course explores key issues in public policy in developing countries. It begins by reviewing key concepts from public economics and examining how the context of developing countries may shift which questions are first-order, as well as the desirability and impact of public policies. The course will discuss traditional topics in public economics— market failures and redistribution—within contexts of weak social contracts, limited state capacity, and economic structures that pose challenges to government policy. Beyond these topics, the course will provide relevant analytical tools for policy analysis and critically engage with frontier quantitative empirical evidence.
Teaching
22 hours of lectures and 16.5 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Problem sets
Indicative reading
Alatas, V., Purnamasari, R., Wai-Poi, M., Banerjee, A., Olken, B. A., & Hanna, R. (2016). “Self-targeting: Evidence from a field experiment in Indonesia.” Journal of Political Economy, 124(2), 371-427.
Bachas, Pierre, Lucie Gadenne, and Anders Jensen. (2024). "Informality, consumption taxes, and redistribution." Review of Economic Studies, 91(5), 2604-2634.
Baird, S., McIntosh, C., and Özler, B. (2011). "Cash or condition? Evidence from a cash transfer experiment." The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 126(4), 1709-1753.
Bandiera, Oriana, Andrea Prat, and Tommaso Valletti. (2009). "Active and Passive Waste in Government Spending: Evidence from a Policy Experiment." American Economic Review, 99(4), 1278-1308.
Bau, Natalie. (2021). "Can Policy Change Culture? Government Pension Plans and Traditional Kinship Practices." American Economic Review, 111(6).
Egger, Dennis, Johannes Haushofer, Edward Miguel, Paul Niehaus, and Michael Walker. (2022). "General equilibrium effects of cash transfers: experimental evidence from Kenya." Econometrica, 90(6), 2603-2643.
Gruber, J. (1994). "The Incidence of Mandated Maternity Benefits." American Economic Review, 84(3), 622-641.
Jensen, A. (2022). “Employment structure and the rise of modern tax system.” American Economic Review, 112(1), 213-234.
Martínez, Luis R. (2023). "Natural resource rents, local taxes, and government performance: Evidence from Colombia." Review of Economics and Statistics, 1-28.
Pomeranz, Dina. (2015). "No Taxation without Information: Deterrence and Self-Enforcement in the Value Added Tax." American Economic Review, 105(8), 2539-69.
Weigel, J.L. (2020). "The participation dividend of taxation: How citizens in Congo engage more with the state when it tries to tax them." The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 135(4), 1849-1903.
Assessment
Exam (70%), duration: 120 Minutes in the Spring exam period
Essay (25%)
This component of assessment includes an element of group work.
Continuous assessment (5%)
Key facts
Department: School of Public Policy
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
Keywords: Development Economics , Public Economics, Taxation, Social protection, Public Administration, Public Service Delivery
Total students 2024/25: Unavailable
Average class size 2024/25: Unavailable
Controlled access 2024/25: NoCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
- Communication
- Application of numeracy skills
- Specialist skills